Big Country leans over the fence for what I assume’s the usual making fun of my Japanese automobile while mulling over the paradox of his neighbor wearing a fedora while comfortably splitting logs in the encroaching twilight.

“You know what doesn’t make sense to me, Trevor?” asks Big Country.

I raise my eyebrows.

“Well, I’ve seen pictures of the Great Wall of China. And it’s not a great wall. It’s an alright wall. It’s the Alright Wall of China.”

He hawks a gob of chewing tobacco into his Tennessee Titans mug and resumes tending to his drying overalls while humming “Rhinestone Cowbody.”

Today’s been tough, and this bit of pearly wisdom made my laugh out loud for a long time. I am, yet again, grateful for my walking hillbilly Buddha of a neighbor, and how the worst days are made bearable through absurdity and good humor.